More refuse storage tanks for Koh Larn

Afraid Koh Larn is turning into an “island of garbage,” Pattaya will spend 2.2 million baht for additional containers to store garbage while it is waiting to be transported to the mainland.

At a July 7 Pattaya City Hall meeting, city council president, Tavich Chaiswangwong and Deputy Mayor Wutisak Rermkitkarn agreed on the plan to better handle Koh Larn’s estimated 15-20 tons of garbage per day.

As the city, including Koh Larn, grows, so does the need for bigger and better rubbish removal.

Currently the island’s Pubic Health and Environment Department manages trash collection. But with the increase in Thai and foreign tourists to the island, there has been a marked increase in garbage on the beach and foul odors arising from current storage areas.

Trash is regularly hauled off the island by barge, but bad weather can delay shipment by days at a time. In such instances, Koh Larn does not have enough containers to store all the trash waiting to be exported.

Officials hope the 20 new tanks planned for Koh Larn will solve the problem, at least for now.

This article was published in the Pattaya Mail newspaper on Friday July 15, 2011 (Vol. XIX No. 28).